China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, believes that the anticipated meeting between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden will not be straightforward. The foreign ministry communicated this sentiment on a Sunday. Wang Yi had discussions with Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan during his three-day trip to Washington. Both nations have consented to aim for a bilateral meeting at the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in San Francisco this November.
Wang Yi stated in a release from China’s foreign ministry that the journey to this bilateral meeting will not be “smooth sailing” and that automatic procedures cannot be depended upon to ensure its success. This visit to Washington occurs during a period of elevated tension between the two countries, particularly concerning U.S. export controls on cutting-edge technology and China’s increasingly assertive behavior in the East and South China Seas.
The foreign ministry’s statement also mentioned that although numerous issues still need resolution, both countries consider it advantageous and essential to sustain dialogue. This meeting is the newest in a sequence of high-ranking interactions between the two nations as they investigate the potential for stabilizing an increasingly strained relationship, especially in the context of conflicts in Ukraine and Israel.
Wang Yi also indicated that China and the U.S. require a “return to Bali,” referring to a previous meeting between Xi and Biden at a G20 summit last year. During that meeting, they discussed matters related to Taiwan, trade tensions between the U.S. and China, and collaboration on issues such as climate change, health, and food security. Wang emphasized that both nations must “eliminate interference, overcome obstacles, enhance consensus and accumulate results.”
The dialogue between Wang and Biden also covered military exchanges between the U.S. and China, as well as financial, technological, and cultural cooperation. Additionally, they discussed crises in the Middle East and Ukraine.
